


Good job (Have a gold star)

by orphan_account



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fluff and Crack, Gold Stars, M/M, Pepper is just generally awesome, Phil Needs a Hug, Pining, Stony if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-15
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2018-02-04 18:21:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1788712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce shoots Phil a sympathetic look, because <i>of course</i> he's noticed, their second resident supergenius is so much more perceptive than the other one. "You can have one of mine, if you want."</p><p>"No thanks," Phil mutters, falling back into one of the chairs, and is surprised when Pepper pulls him into her side briefly, a tight, one-armed hug. "Don't worry, Phil," she murmurs, and Phil feels his cheeks heat.</p><p>"Does everybody know about my crush on him?" he grumbles, only half-jokingly, and Pepper pats him comfortingly on the head.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good job (Have a gold star)

"Anyway," Tony slams his hands onto the tabletop, and Phil resists the urge to roll his eyes with a measure of difficulty. "I say we make t-shirts. Avengers t-shirts, with our logo on them, and each color corresponding to a different Avenger."

Natasha, from her perch at the edge of the couch, braiding Thor's hair, hums contemplatively, and Clint nods decisively. All Phil sees is a quick blur, and a sharp _thwack_ echoes through the room.

Tony's eyes cross as he struggles to catch sight of the object stuck to the tip of his nose.

"What the hell is this?" he asks, tugging at it, moving his hand away to reveal a tiny gold star.

"It's a gold star." Clint mumbles, looking away, shifting lower in his seat.

"A... a _gold star_?"

"Yeah." If Clint sinks any lower, he'll slide out of his chair. "I- I decided I should be more positive in team meetings, so I got some stickers. Whenever I agree with you guys, you get a star."

Phil blinks, because of all the things he expected, that... wasn't it.

"Good idea," Natasha calls, before snatching her gold star right out of the air, working it into Thor's elaborate hairdo.

Phil chuckles. "Considering the general temperament of the people on this team, we may as well order in bulk."

Clint snorts, and Phil readies himself to be pelted by a star, but none come.

Bruce adjusts his glasses. "Wouldn't it be simpler to just say, "Good work, team, I agree with what you say?"" he asks quietly.

"Not really," Pepper joins in, looking up from her tablet. "Last time Tony gave Nat a compliment, she flipped him into the coffee table because she thought he was being sarcastic."

"Friend Clint has devised a marvelous replacement for communication," Thor booms, tilting his head up and receiving a soft smack from Natasha as he musses up the strand she's working on. Clint shifts, and a golden star attaches itself to Thor's beard with a muted _thunk_.

Phil tries not to be jealous, he _really_ does, but he feels his comment was just as deserving of a golden star as Thor's.

"Considering the amount of shouting I need to do to get you guys in order, maybe I should adopt the habit as well," Steve grumbles, studiously drawing in his sketchpad, before he's nearly knocked over by the force of the thrown sticker, hitting the center of his chest with a resounding _thump_. "Hey, that wasn't fair!"

"I agreed with you," Clint smiles innocently, and Phil tries not to feel left out, because only he, Pepper, and Bruce haven't received their own stars yet. But maybe it's just that Clint is used to Phil, and is waiting for a particularly exceptional comment in order to reward him.

"Back to the briefing," Phil claps his hands softly, and tries not to feel proud when the entire team looks at him in sync - _they grow up so fast_  - before clearing his throat. "Since we've already accepted t-shirts as a marketing ploy, do we consider undergarments as a viable option?"

Clint snorts. "I'm with Coulson on this one."

Phil braces himself, but no star is apparently incoming, and he looks at Clint, puzzled, to find him tugging at a waxy sheet, filled with golden stickers. Maybe it got stuck, that's all, he reasons. Maybe Clint's just realized that at the rate he's going, he's going to work through that entire thing in only a few days.

His heart sinks when Clint draws a bundle from his boot, riffling through another five of the sticker sheets, because there really is no reason for Clint not to have graced him with a star. Clint even _said_ he agreed!

Natasha makes a face. "I'm not comfortable with having something affiliated with me covering someone else's groin area."

Steve raises a hand. "Seconded."

"Don't be a prude, Capsicle," Tony scowls, which rapidly turns to an expression of delight as another star attaches itself to him, this time at the center of his forehead.

Bruce coughs. "Is any one of us really comfortable with children potentially wearing our faces... _there_?"

The room falls silent.

Bruce is smacked by three stars in quick succession, and Tony breaks out into hysterical laughter, while Phil struggles not to feel hurt, because does Clint really only rank him along with Pepper? It's not like he expects Clint to return the feelings Phil has harbored for him all these years, but he's thought they were friends, good friends, even, and he'd even let himself think, once or twice, that maybe, just _maybe_...

Well. Obviously that maybe was a resounding _No_.

"Action figurines are a bit overused, but we could always pair them with trading cards," Pepper offers, tapping away. "Just market it to children and we're set."

She tries not to look pleased when a star hits her square on the chin.

Clint glances at him, then, and Phil quickly turns away, because it's still too soon for him to hide the dejection he knows is shining in his eyes.

"That works!" Tony declares, rising. "Now, all in favor of disbanding this meeting for some impromptu shawarma?"

Natasha, Thor, and Steve all raise their hands, and after a moment, a gold star smacks the arch of Tony's mouth.

"Five to three, ma-jo-ri-tee!" Tony crows, before grabbing Steve's hand, bounding out of the room, enthusing, "Three stars, Steve, I win!"

Phil bites his tongue, because he's really, _really_ tempted to mention that Bruce has three stars as well, but he knows that the moment he'll do it, Tony will mercilessly pick on him for having no stars whatsoever. As if it's a failing.

Maybe, maybe it just means that Clint's default position with any of Phil's remarks is agreeing, so he doesn't even think that he needs to commemorate it with...

He's not even fooling himself.

Thor rolls off the couch, amiably following Tony's path, and Clint reaches to take Nat's hand, pulling her up, before they exit together, talking softly.

Bruce shoots Phil a sympathetic look, because _of course_ he's noticed, their second resident supergenius is so much more perceptive than the other one. "You can have one of mine, if you want."

"No thanks," Phil mutters, falling back into one of the chairs, and is surprised when Pepper pulls him into her side briefly, a tight, one-armed hug. "Don't worry, Phil," she murmurs, and Phil feels his cheeks heat.

"Does everybody know about my crush on him?" he grumbles, only half-jokingly, and Pepper pats him comfortingly on the head.

"Tony is about as perceptive as a teaspoon when it doesn't concern him, and so is Thor. I don't think Steve's cottoned on yet, but yes, everybody else knows. Well, except for Clint."

Phil sighs. He's one of S.H.I.E.L.D's senior agents, he shouldn't be this transparent, but then again, ever since Manhattan, it's been less and less appealing to hide his true wants behind a bland mask. He's been trying to tell Clint, working up the courage for a few days now, and he's chagrined to realize that something as silly as not getting any gold stars has rattled the very foundations of his confidence.

He's so lost in thought that he doesn't immediately register the sound of running footsteps, though Pepper tenses up beside him, and it takes him a moment to flick his eyes upward when they stop.

Clint's standing at the doorway, face flushed. "Can I talk to Phil for a moment, please?" he breathes, padding into the room slowly.

Pepper chuckles. "I'm not his keeper," she quips, standing up, stretching, immediately belying her words. After a moment, she heads for the door, Bruce is already slipping past Clint. "Good luck," she calls over her shoulder, closing the door gently behind her, and the flush on Phil's face is only rivaled by the one on Clint's own.

"Um," Clint starts, looking away from Phil, arms crossing defensively in front of his chest, and Phil feels a flicker of icy fear pierce his heart. Has Clint finally realized what's been going on? Did Nat tell him, or maybe Tony, or Thor, or Steve realize? Does he- does he want to turn down Phil without making a scene?

"These took longer to ship," Clint blurts, before pushing something into Phil's hands, stepping back immediately, the tips of his ears flaring. "The store only just delivered them."

Phil hopes the sigh of relief he heaves isn't too noticeable, flipping the paper over-

It's a sheet of Avengers stickers.

Nat's spider, her gauntlets, Tony's mask and reactor, Bruce's glasses and a pair of torn purple pants, Thor's cape and Mjolnir- _Steve's shield -_ And, on one corner, relegated to the sidelines, a bow, Clint's only sticker.

Phil's heart aches.

With trembling fingers, he pries it from the paper before sticking it to his chest, slightly to the left, just above his heart.

Clint's breath stutters, and Phil knows he hasn't missed the significance of the gesture. He offers Clint a small, fond smile, letting him see how much Clint's stickers mean to him, letting his emotions run rampant in his eyes, on his face, and says, "That's the only one I need."

" _Phil_ -" Clint chokes, before lurching forward, crushing their lips together, and Phil can't help himself from smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't even know.


End file.
